Plantago johnstonii Pilger

Plantago johnstonii Pilger View in CoL in Anonymous (1929: 767–768)

Type: — CHILE. ANTOFAGASTA: Taltal: Aguada del Panul , in dry rocky stream-way in steep gulch above spring, ca. 24°47’ S, 4 December 1925, I.M. Johnston 5444 (lectotype [designated by Rahn 1983: 341] GH-00092255 ! [ Fig. 8 View FIGURE 8 ]; isolectotypes C!, GH-00092266 !) .

Illustrations: —Fig. 14 in Rahn (1983).

Photographs: — Fig. 8 View FIGURE 8 ; Fig. 15 in Rahn (1983); Fig. 11A View FIGURE 11 in Murillo (2012).

Distribution and habitat: —Known only from the type gathering (I.M. Johnston 5444), whose specimens were mounted on two sheets kept at GH (GH-00092255 and GH-00092266). This species is recorded from close to a spring (“Aguada del Panul”) ( Figs. 9 View FIGURE 9 and 10 View FIGURE 10 ) at the base of rocky cliffs near the coast (at 300–400 m), in the Atacama Desert, in Taltal, Antofagasta region, northern Chile ( Fig. 7 View FIGURE 7 ), at 24°46’16” S, 70°31’49” W.

Conservation status: —Extinct (EX). Despite a thorough search at the type locality, in the appropriate time of the year (during summer, when the type was collected) no specimens of this species could be found. During our exploration of the area ( Figs. 9 View FIGURE 9 and 10 View FIGURE 10 ), we noticed that the spring mentioned in the labels on the type collections has been drastically reduced by the draining of water to a small fig and pear plantation nearby, in what is an otherwise desert area. It is likely this plantation was not present when Ivan Murray Johnston collected the type in 1925, otherwise he probably would have mentioned it. We also failed to find other suitable habitats along the coast of the town of Taltal. All things considered, we think it is highly improbable that P. johnstonii has survived the destruction of its habitat, and therefore we argue that this species is most probably extinct.

The coast of Taltal has several aguadas, i.e. natural springs at the base of cliffs, which harbour an impressive number of narrowly endemic plant species ( Johnston 1929a, Luebert 2013, Rodríguez 2015, Gutiérrez et al. 2016). The coastal deserts of northern Chile are apparently becoming even more arid, with less frequent rainfall events and reduced cloudiness ( Rundel et al. 1991, Schulz et al. 2011a, 2011b). We argue that these environments need more conservation attention from the Chilean government and also international entities, and that ex situ conservation actions are urgently necessary for the plant species endemic to the region, to prevent more biodiversity being irreversibly lost.

Notes: —This species was described with the spelling “ Plantago Johnstoni ”, which was rendered by Rahn (1983) as “ Plantago johnstoni ”, but that spelling is an orthographic error to be corrected to “ Plantago johnstonii ” (Arts. 23, 32.2 and 60.12, and Recommendation 60C). A sheet at C with black and white photographs of the type specimens of P. johnstonii also contains an envelope with fragments, floral parts and seeds taken by Knud Rahn from the lectotype (GH-00092255), likely when this specimen was loaned to C. Since this sheet contains parts of the type, and is deposited at C, it can be considered part of the type collection, and therefore listed as isolectotype.